Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-08-11
AT CHAUTAUQUA.


for three years will be surprised at the
steady and substantial growth of the
place. There are many new cottages.
and those which are building or have re-
Gently been built are better and more
substantial in construction than those
built earlier. The first cottages we've
made of rough boards, with little of ar
tistic design; the walls and ceilings
were not plastered. but were left with
unplaned joist and studding. Now
plastering of ceiling and paneling with
wood are common.
The burnt district is now a beautiful
park, or, in places, is filling up with
stately cottages, which are like perma
nent houses.
This is "opening week" for the Sun
day School Assembly proper but, as a
shrewd bit of finance, the week began
on Saturday with the lecture by Sam.
P. Jones on Character and Characters.
As proof of his power and popularity,
the vast amphitheater was packed To
hear him, aud though the day was hot
and his lecture was lengthy, the vast
crowds remained attentive to the end.
At 10 a. m. on Sunday he preached to a
crowded amphitheater, and the whole
vast congregation remained to the close.
Thousands came on Saturday and re-
mained until Monday, as there is no en-
trance or exit allowed on Sunday. Facts
are stubborn things, and the power of
Sam Jones To attract and hold the mass
es is fact. There is u cause for this,
and one which operates i'll spite OF some
great and manifest blemishes. He is
often rough, coarse, egotistical, and
sometimes vulgar, and these qualities
are not wings but weights, and TO some
hearers they are dead load with no
compensating benefit. But he has a
wonderful faculty to make thought
stand OUT clear, angular, and quivering
with sympathy and love; his power of
denunciatlon is terrible, full of fire and
force; at times perfect furnace of ve-
bemence, yet tempered with deep
spirit of humanity; his wit and humor
and imagination never fail him; an ever
ready sense of brilliant and vigorous IL
lustratiOn. No one gets true picture of
| Jones in public prints; there his defects
are exaggerated and stand out bare and
unrelieved by any of his redeemlng quail
tiles. He is man to be heard occasion
ally as tonic. but for steady diet he
would be a grotesque and pitiful failure.
Chaplain McCabe is present, and on
Sunday evening. July 31st, spoke On the
cause of Missions; he is ready favoriIe.
having fiue presence, perfect voice in
| fnrpQ and and a DlranRal unn n
netism which is wonderful.
Prof. Henry Drummond, young sci
enlist of Glasgow University, who has
secured considerable fame as the uthor
of recent work on Natural Law in
the Spiritual World has been present
the past few days and has attracted
considerable attention by his lectures
and informal talks ON the Religious
Life. He has great command of pure,
simple and transparent English, and the
spirit of his teaching is truly evangeli
cal and lOvable, but some of his expla-
nations of the Bible and applications of
doctrines make one think of the old
saw, "let the cobbler stick to his last"
Tuesday evening, August I'd, was the
opening service proper. 1t was ushered
in by the chime of bells and profu Sc
| floral decorations and illumination of
the grounds about the amphitheater
The reopeniEg consists of a platform
symposium of readiest speakers Oh the
grounds. 1t was superior to tue same
exercise of lorOer years. Everything
has its childhood. and the assembly has
passed out of its juvenile era into its
age of maturity. In earlier years the
opening was marred by too much levity,
fun for fun sake. The speakers seemed
to think that they must raise a laugh,
and the one who provoked the risibili-
ties to the greatest extent was the great
est success. The speaking on Tuesday
evening was of much higher order; it
was happy blending of thought and
cultured wit and pleasantly. 1t would
be very difficult to duplicate that meets
ing any whereof the qualities of ii truly
enjoyable platform meeting. IN almost
every respect it was above just criticism.
Following the exercises in the amphi-
theater. there were fireworks on the
Lake below the Hotel Athenaum. These
are means of diversion and to attract
people to Chautauqua as a pleasure re-
sort. Great crowds throng, the water
front to secure sight of the finest
pyrotechnic display to be found In the
country; it is wonderful what variety
and splendor are reached in these fire.
works. The season is reported by the
officers as the most successful of the
thirteen yet held; the receipts are $4,000
in excess of any previous year.
st. Cairsville is well represented as to
numbers Retta and Emma Arm
strong. Maggie Davies. Maggie Kiger,
and the writer's family, compose the
delegation. though letters received PROM
Use an increase before many days. II.